Four Years Ago

19 August 2016

Four Years ago today we grabbed our Port San Luis, California mooring ball and ended our Four year Cruise of Mexico so the kids could attend normal High School. It's a decision that has worked out well, even if I have missed the Tacos. But, once you hit the mark of being back for longer than you were away it's time to start planning the next adventure before old man time claims another prisoner.

So, Jason starts his senior year of High School next week and the plans are being crafted for what we are calling Chapter 3. I can't give it all away yet (partly because we don't have it all figured out yet), but suffice it to say, I won't be needing a diesel heater soon and I see Tacos in my future. I also have that butterfly in my stomach feeling again...and I like it!

The Hairy Edge: Life Living Aboard

19 July 2016

Ok, so today I tested the limit and found the hairy edge...

The shower has been draining slow over the last few days and Lori kept asking me to clean it out. See on a boat, the shower water doesn't just magically disappear down the drain and off to the municipal swear plant. On a boat the shower drains into a small gallon sized sump box and in the box there is a "automatic" pump so that when the box gets full the shower water is pumped overboard. So two bad things can happen with this standard boat design, depending on where the clog forms.

1. The shower sump pump dies and before you know it the shower water flows into your bilge area, usually happening for a few days before you notice it, by either a bilge alarm going off or the smell coming from beneath the floor boards.

Or

2. The drain and hair strainer at the entrance to the shower sump box plugs (remember hair + pump = bad). In this case the shower stall doesn't drain or it drains very slowly.

We were experiencing condition No 2, it was 915PM and the last thing I wanted to do was clean out the hair and scum trap, so I just told Lori Boren that the standing water in the bottom of the shower was like a Spa Treatment Pedicure for her feet calluses.

Well, out came the wet-dry-vac and the lines and hair trap screen are now cleaned and the shower is draining again. But for some reason despite the fact that we are both clean...Lori decided to sleep on the couch tonight...geeze. Living the Dream still has its falls down to earth.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas; and God saw that it was good...... and the evening and the morning were the THIRD [...]